Naim Uniti Atom Helmet Edition Review

Naim Uniti Atom Helmet Edition Review THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY

One minute review

The Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is a unique product: on the surface it's an all-in-one headphone amplifier and network streamer, but its user experience is unlike anything else. By embracing so many ways of viewing music and optimizing its sound quality for musicality rather than a methodical approach, Uniti Atom rewards users with quality music regardless of genre or format. Yes, the price tag is incredible, but after spending a month with the device, it's pretty hard to imagine going back to another device as simple to use and beautifully crafted as the Atom. The Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is a practically ideal device for lovers of digital music and headphones. In terms of competition, there really is none in the headphone space, making the Uniti Atom headphones a unique proposition for headphone enthusiasts. The speaker-focused Uniti Atom has a few contenders like the Cambridge Audio Evo 10 and the NAD MXNUMX, but if you like listening to digital music through headphones, the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is a hugely compelling single device that can do anything.

Price and launch date

The Uniti Atom Headset Edition is just part of the network transmitter series in the Naims product line. There's the standard Naim Uniti Atom, which is for those looking to power up 2-channel speakers and home theater. The two units appear virtually identical, but they serve very, very different needs. While Uniti Atom puts speakers first, with a 2mm headphone jack on the front, the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is aimed at headphone enthusiasts who can take advantage of multiple headphone inputs such as balanced XLR, pentacon symmetrical of 399 mm and asymmetrical of XNUMX mm. Retailing for $XNUMX (£XNUMX, AU$XNUMX), the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition doesn't come cheap, but the cost is justified by its ease of use, build quality, and design. The Uniti Atom Helmet Edition is available worldwide at multiple retailers.

In the photo: Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition on a shelf.

(Image credit: Lewis Leong)

Integrated

The Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is a must have and begs to be the focal point of any headphone lover's high loyalty. Turning the device on, you're immediately drawn to the beautiful display, which highlights album art and playback details as you listen. The screen tones are vibrant and the resolution is good enough to be clearly read from a few meters away. However, one drawback is that the screen is not sensitive to touch. Instead, there are 4 buttons on the side (power, play/stop, enter, and favorites) that you have to interact with. Users must navigate using the Naim app or the beautiful remote control. It's a shame users end up using the app most of the time as it gives them access to each and every feature which is a shame as remote control looks so nice and gives great tactical feedback . On top of the unit is the largest volume knob we've ever seen, just begging to be used. The button action is buttery smooth and the unit has a proximity sensor, so the button will light up at the current volume when you get close. The front display also has a proximity sensor, which switches the display from album art to album art and also playback information like bit rate and tracking progress.

In the photo: Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition on a shelf.

(Image credit: Lewis Leong) The front of the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is shiny, so you'll need to clean it regularly if you end up hitting the front buttons. Front inputs include a 2mm balanced pentacon connection, a XNUMXmm unbalanced connection, as well as a USB-A port for connecting a USB stick full of music. There's an XLR output for balanced headphones, but it's located on the rear of the device, making it difficult to use. However, it is easy to see that a full size XLR connector would not fit on the front of the unit. In addition to this, it is possible to get a XNUMXmm to XLR adapter to take advantage of the balanced front connection. On the sides are heat sink fins, which the unit needs as it gets hot in use. This is by no means a burn, but heat sinks are required to keep the unit running. On the rear are a host of inputs and outputs, including XNUMX SPDIF inputs, a coaxial input, an analog RCA input, an Ethernet port (although the unit also has Wi-Fi), USB-A, full-size XLR outputs for - , as unbalanced RCA preamp outputs. This means that you can use the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition as a music streaming preamplifier.

Features

The list of supported digital formats and streaming services is extensive. There's support for Chromecast, AirPlay XNUMX, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Bluetooth, UPnP, internet radio, and more. We spend most of our time using Tidal via the Naim app, as a combination of Chromecast, AirPlay, and UPnP from our Plex server. Every technology worked flawlessly and the instant entry switch is a game changer. You can move between digital platforms and technologies without choosing a different input. It just works transparently. In truth, the main selling point of a device like the Uniti Atom is to let you access your music as quickly as possible.

In the photo: Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition on a shelf.

(Image credit: Lewis Leong) As previously mentioned, you'll want to download and use the Naim app to browse music and monitor your Uniti Atom. The app itself is stable and works well, but it lacks the polish of dedicated music apps. For example, the native apps for Tidal and Spotify are much better for discovering music, while the Naim app excels if you know what you want to listen to. We would like to see Naim integrate Tidal more seamlessly by mirroring the native application for discovery. One thing we want to mention is that Uniti Atom remembers the volume of each headphone input, just like the preamp output, which means you'll never blow your ears out when switching between outputs. This is such a small yet essential feature that we would love to see in each and every DAC/amp.

Audio quality

The Uniti Atom Headset Edition sounded perfect with any headset we threw at it. Our tests let us use the Focal Celestee, Focal Clear Mg, Beyerdynamic DT 2 Pro, Sennheiser HD XNUMX, and Grado RSXNUMXi. Each earphone sounded perfect, and she found that the Atom Headphone Edition had more than enough power to power any earphone. In terms of sound quality, the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition sounds overly musical without being overly methodical. We were amazed at how amazing it seemed to jump between different genres and albums of different recording quality. Certain amps and DACs are not a poorly recorded genre of music like pop punk, but this one focuses on the music rather than the details.

In the photo: Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition on a shelf.

(Image credit: Lewis Leong) Dynamically, the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition impresses. The unit was able to hold its own light on the most difficult tracks, from traditional orchestral scores to bass-heavy hip-hop. Balanced and unbalanced outputs sound perfect, balancing and giving power-hungry headphones more punch. We tried using the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition as a streaming music preamp powering our KEF LS50 Wireless and the unit worked really well for listening through the speakers. However, we would have liked to see a fixed volume option for the preamp function to let an amp control the volume instead of having to drive the volume of the Uniti Atom and the amp.

Should I get the Uniti Atom helmet edition?

In the photo: Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition on a shelf.

(Image credit: Lewis Leong)

Buy it if...

You're a headphone enthusiast who wants one device to rule them all
The Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is an incredible package and will probably be the last headphone amp, digital music streamer or music hub you'll ever buy. It sounds great, powers just about any headset you throw at it, is compatible with all the major streaming services/protocols, and looks stunning. You care more about the music than the equipment
Audiophiles often worry about measurements and specifications, but the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is not that kind of product. On paper, the Atom Headphone Edition is cheap, but it's only when you use it that you understand why so many people love it. It lets you listen to music as quickly as possible, and its sound quality puts the music, not the equipment, front and center. You care about the design
Look at! The Naim Uniti Atom Helmet Edition is one of the most amazing high-loyalty gear on the market today. Many amps / DACs / streamers look like anonymous black boxes, but not the Atom. If design is your thing, the Atom is a fantastic centerpiece for your high loyalty system.

Don't buy it if...

You want good value for money
€399 (€XNUMX, AU €XNUMX) is obviously a ton of money, and you can build an equally astounding system for less money. Is it going to be as simple and intuitive to use or as beautiful? Probably not, but you will have a lot more money in your checking account. You want analytical sound
The Uniti Atom Headphone Edition sounds really good, but tends to a more musical and fluid presentation than pure resolution and detail. THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY

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